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Liana | Travel to Water & Mountains (w/ Points)

@fromseatoskies

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🌊🏔️ Helping you escape to the water & mountains
🛩️ Maximizing points & miles to get there
🌎 Visited all 50 states
📩 [email protected]📍CHI/SEA
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👋 Welcome! I’m a seasoned traveler seeking both adventure and relaxation near mountains and water of any kind… lakes, rivers, oceans, you name it. I was born and raised in Washington State, surrounded by stunning mountains and serene waterways, and I’m a big supporter of the belief that you can love trips to both the beach and the alpine. 😎 Thanks to my full-time job (and my priorities), I’ve tallied up more than 1,500+ hotel nights and 600+ flights the last several years, and I hope to share the secrets and tips I’ve learned with you, from paying for trips that I’d otherwise never be able to afford with points, to squeezing in perfect itineraries for getaways with limited PTO. 
 🙋‍♀️ How can I afford to travel? My partner and I are on the road a lot for our full-time jobs where we’ve built up a large bank of travel points that we use on these adventures (not to mention tallying up credit card points). We’ve learned so much about the destinations we’ve been lucky to visit and how to win the points/miles system and want to share that with you. We otherwise lead a very low-key life and mostly prioritize spending our money on travel and experiences rather than things. I’m trying to find a community of other like-minded people here who want to adventure around the globe near the water or the mountains (or dream about it) and exchange experiences and advice on how to get there. Bonus points (ha) if you’ve got a lot of travel points/miles you’re looking to burn. Follow me for all kinds of real-life travel tips from a gal who spends too much time on the road for both work and fun. ***Important to add: Stories/posts will always appear on a delay due to safety.*** Can’t wait to connect with you. 🤍 #mountains #turquoisewater #pointsandmiles #hotelpoints #airlinemiles by @fromseatoskies
Welcome 😎 and nice to met you! I’m a seasoned traveler (1,500+ hotel nights and 600+ flights the last several years) helping busy people escape to the water and the mountains, including how to use your points and miles to get there. My goal is at least 100 posts here in these first 100 days. Follow along to help hold me accountable! Can’t wait to connect with you. 🤍 **Important to add for the future: Stories/posts will always appear on a delay due to safety.** #mountains #travelpoints #turquoisewater #pointsandmiles #hotelpoints by @fromseatoskies
Before we went to Sicily, my whole feed was Sicily, and turns out people were right about some things and off about others. (👋 Hi, I’m Liana, a seasoned traveler —1,500+ hotel nights, 600+ flights, & all 50 states the last several years —helping busy people escape to the water and the mountains, including how to get there on points/miles.) 🔵Biggest thing you need to know: the island is enormous. We spent the entire trip on the eastern side and still barely scratched it. I suggest picking a region and going deep instead of trying to speed-run the whole island. A few more that held up, and a few that didn’t: 🔵 Calamosche is usually a calm, sheltered cove, but wind can turn it choppy in an afternoon, and nobody mentions the roughly 1km walk from the parking to reach it.  🔵 Boat days really do depend on the sea, so be aware that your day at the coves might disappoint you with instead a day not leaving the harbor (like ours was).  🔵 Noto is far more than “pretty,” it is Baroque carved in honey-colored stone and full of history. 🔵 Ortigia, the old island heart of Siracusa, was lovely in the rain with the lanes emptied out.  🔵 And yes, the ceramic heads are everywhere, and the story behind them is a full love-betrayal-revenge saga worth looking up.  🔵San Lorenzo had some of the clearest water we saw on the whole coast.  🔵Marzamemi is a tiny fishing village perfect for slow dinners by the water.  🔵Two orders you cannot miss, wherever you are: the caprese, because Sicilian tomatoes are basically a different fruit, and the artichoke, which has ruined all other artichokes for us. ✈️ Points details: Between Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and IHG, there are a ton of points hotel options in Sicily, all described above. Save this for your own trip. What am I missing? Any surprises? What more do you want to know? #sicily #pointsandmiles #wheretostayinsicily #sicilytravel #italytravel by @fromseatoskies
Send to your travel partner and save for your future trip! Points details @ the bottom. Siracusa in Sicily is the modern city on the mainland and Ortigia is the tiny island that hangs off it. If you’re in this part of Sicily, you should not miss it. (👋 Hi, I’m Liana, a seasoned traveler - 1,500 hotel nights + 600 flights the last few years! - helping busy people escape to the mountains and water, including how to get there with points/miles. Follow for more info like this!) Here’s the breakdown for Siracusa (or Syracuse): 🔵 Catania airport is closest, an hour-ish by car/bus. (Siracusa also has a small train station w/ direct connections to Noto and Catania) 🔵 If you do have a car, park on the mainland, since Ortigia parking is a nightmare in season and it’s a 2 min walk in.  🔵 The Biblioteca Alagoniana is housed inside the Palazzo Arcivescovile on Piazza Duomo and holds rare Latin, Greek, and Arabic manuscripts.  🔵 Castello Maniace sits at the southern tip of the island, a 13th century castle that was off limits for years due to Italian Navy use and is now open to visitors with a small entry fee. 🔵 If you have a 1/2 day extra, Neapolis Archaeological Park up on the mainland has a Greek theater still used for performances every summer. 🔵 It gets very busy in July and August. Shoulder season (May, June, September, and October) is more pleasant. What am I missing? Have any questions, and is Sicily on your list? ✈️ Points details: Full disclosure, we used cash on this one to stay at a nearby house rental on an orchard with friends in Noto (amazingly affordable if you split between 3 couples like we did). If you want to use points, on Ortigia in Siracusa you have the Ortea Palace on Marriott Bonvoy and the tony boutique Lùme on World of Hyatt through Mr and Mrs Smith, about 30 mins north near the fishing village of Brucoli is Mangia’s Brucoli on Marriott Bonvoy, a big newly renovated resort right on the sea, the Terradamari Resort & Spa on Hilton Honors sits on the beachfront near Marina di Modic, and the Costa Irminia Retreat and Spa near Scicli is a brand new IHG Vignette Collection property. #sicily #siracusa #hotelpoi by @fromseatoskies
Send this to your travel partner and save if you want to visit Sicily someday. (👋 Hi, I’m Liana, a seasoned traveler —1,500+ hotel nights, 600+ flights, & all 50 states the last several years —helping busy people escape to the water and the mountains, including how to get there on points/miles.) Marzamemi a tiny fishing village on the southeastern tip of Sicily, just down the road from Noto, built up in the 1700s around an old tonnara (a tuna fishery). The heart of it is Piazza Regina Margherita, a little square ringed by sun-bleached stone houses and fishing boats bobbing about twenty feet from your table. We just showed up and strolled around and it was the perfect small town for that. 🔵 Walk around because the whole area is small enough to do on foot. 🔵Get gelato at Il Tuo Gelato and try the cremolata, which is basically the lovechild of gelato and granita and very much a Sicilian thing. 🔵Finish with dinner at Calamarò Portodimare, right on the water. Quick heads up: it’s popular and prices climb in summer. Treat it like a sunset-and-seafood splurge, not a cheap bite. ✈️ Points details: Full disclosure, we used cash on this one to stay at a nearby house rental on an orchard in Noto with friends (amazingly affordable if you split between 3 couples like we did), but there are options in this region of Sicily. If you want to use points, right on Ortigia in Siracusa you have the Ortea Palace on Marriott Bonvoy and the intimate six-room Lùme bookable through World of Hyatt via Mr and Mrs Smith, and about 30 minutes north near the fishing village of Brucoli is Mangia’s Brucoli on Marriott Bonvoy, a big newly-renovated seaside resort. Within about 45 mins of Noto you have the Terradamari Resort and Spa on Hilton Honors right on the beach at Marina di Modica and the Costa Irminia Retreat and Spa, a brand new IHG Vignette Collection property tucked into a Mediterranean nature reserve near Scicli. What am I missing, have you been or are you looking at adding to your Sicily list? 👇 #sicily #sicilytravel #italytravel #hotelpoints #whattodoinsicily by @fromseatoskies
Save for a future trip to Sicily, and send to the person you want to visit with. Anyone who looks at points redemptions for Marriott Bonvoy stays knows that 21k a night is not a lot, especially when you’re talking about a beachfront resort, so we were wondering if there was a catch. (👋 Hi, I’m Liana, a seasoned traveler —1,500+ hotel nights, 600+ flights, & all 50 states the last several years —helping busy people escape to the water and the mountains, including how to get there on points/miles. Follow for more like this!) 🌊 When I was digging around Marriott for a Sicily trip, I assumed anything beachfront would cost a small fortune in points. Then I pulled up Delta Hotels by Marriott Giardini Naxos (@deltahotelsgiardininaxos), a 4-star place sitting right on the Ionian Sea with balconies over the water, an infinity pool, a private beach, and Mount Etna in the background. It was shockingly cheap for what you actually get. 🌊 Here is the lesson I keep relearning. We are trained to chase the famous, central, Instagram-saturated hotels, and those are almost always the ones priced sky-high on points. The quieter, quirkier, slightly out-of-the-way properties, especially outside the US, are where the real value hides. A beach resort in a smaller Sicilian town will routinely cost a fraction of what a big-city or marquee U.S. hotel runs, in both cash and points. 🌊 And important to note: Marriott uses dynamic pricing now, so the exact number floats by date, and the cheapest award nights almost always sit in shoulder season, so check a few date blocks in the app. It is also a seasonal resort, open roughly spring through fall, and points cover the room only, not Italy’s tourist tax or your spritz budget. Let me know - what am I missing? Anyone had a stay like this surprise them? #sicily #sicilytravel #italytravel #wheretostayinsicily #hotelpoints by @fromseatoskies
Send this to whoever you’re taking to Sicily with you, and save for your future trip. (👋 Hi, I’m Liana, a seasoned traveler —1,500+ hotel nights, 600+ flights, & all 50 states the last several years —helping busy people escape to the water and the mountains, including how to get there on points/miles.) Here’s what SO many people wish they knew before traveling to pristine Taormina, Sicily: 🔵 Do not drive into the historic center. It is a limited traffic zone monitored by cameras, and non-residents get hit with automatic fines of around one hundred euros. Leave the car at Porta Catania or Lumbi on the edge of town and walk or take the shuttle in (or, if you’re lucky to grab a place with parking, leave it there). 🔵 For the beach, skip the car entirely and take the funivia cable car down toward Isola Bella, which is faster, cheaper, and runs late into the night in peak season. 🔵 The Greek theater is pure magic first thing in the morning and a sweaty crowd by the middle of the day, so go early. 🔵 Isola Bella is a pebble beach, not sand, so pack water shoes, and the little museum there is closed Mondays. 🔵 If you want to visit beach clubs like La Plage, you’ll need a reservation. 🔵 If your dates are flexible, skip August. The town is just as beautiful in May, September, or October with a fraction of the crowds and heat. ✈️ Quick points note for Taormina: We stayed in an independent b&b near Isola Bella for a few nights, but spent the first night after landing at Delta Hotels by Marriott Giardini Naxos (putting together a post about this for the future!). More options — IHG: Kimpton Villa Miramare. Accor: Splendid Hotel. I Prefer/Choice: Grand Hotel San Pietro. Hilton: Quiete Taormina Naxos nearby. Hyatt: Park Hyatt coming 2028. The San Domenico Palace (the Four Seasons made famous by White Lotus season 2) has been on Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts, where Platinum cardholders get perks like a property credit, room upgrade when available, daily breakfast, and frequent free-night promotions. What am I missing here? #taormina #sicily #italytravel #wheretostayinsicily #sicilytourism by @fromseatoskies
If you’re the kind of person who wants to make an escape to a mountain lake and then a tropical or Mediterranean water getaway, you’ve found the right corner of social media. 👋 Hi, I’m Liana, a seasoned traveler —1,500+ hotel nights, 600+ flights, & all 50 states the last several years —helping busy people escape to the water and the mountains, including how to get there on points/miles. Follow along if you feel this! #pointsandmiles #hotelpoints #mountains #beachtravel #medeteranian by @fromseatoskies
Send this to your travel partner and save for your future trip! If I only had time to visit this side of Sicily once in my lifetime, these are the places I would make sure I hit.  (👋 Hi, I’m Liana, a seasoned traveler helping busy people escape to the mountains and water, including how to get there with points/miles, follow for more info like this!) Siracusa: Visit for its Greek and Roman ruins, archaeological sites, and coastal setting. Ortigia (island heart of Siracusa): Go for the historic center, waterfront views, Baroque architecture, markets, and restaurants. Noto: Visit to see one of Sicily’s best-known Baroque towns, especially its cathedral and main street. Marzamemi: Go for the traditional fishing village, central piazza, waterfront seafood restaurants, and nearby beaches. San Lorenzo Beach: Visit for clear, shallow, turquoise water, and a pretty sandy shoreline. Mount Etna: Go to explore Europe’s highest active volcano, with hiking, guided tours, lava fields, and wide views across eastern Sicily. Taormina: Visit for the Greek Theatre, historic center, restaurants, shops, and views of Mount Etna and the coast. Isola Bella: Go for swimming, snorkeling, and access to the small island and nature reserve below Taormina. ✈️ Points details: Between Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and IHG, there are a ton of points hotel options in Sicily - will discuss in a reel this week! What am I missing? What more do you want to know? #sicily #italy #whattodoinsicily #hotelpoints #taormina by @fromseatoskies
Send this to your travel partner and save for your future trip! This is one of the easiest day trips in southeastern Sicily, but there are a few things more people should know before arriving in Noto. (👋 Hi, I’m Liana, a seasoned traveler - 1,500 hotel nights + 600 flights the last few years! - helping busy people escape to the mountains and water, including how to get there with points/miles, follow for more info like this!) 🔵 The historic center is compact, so you do not need a complicated itinerary. Start at Porta Reale and follow Corso Vittorio Emanuele toward the cathedral, then make time for Palazzo Nicolaci and the view from the bell tower at San Carlo if it is open. 🔵 Noto was largely rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake, which is why the center has such a consistent late Baroque look. It is also part of the UNESCO-listed Val di Noto. 🔵 Do not drive straight into the center. Watch for ZTL signs, park outside the restricted streets, and wear shoes that can handle stone pavement and stairs.  🔵 Summer afternoons can be brutally hot, so morning or late afternoon is usually much more comfortable (or, go in the shoulder season or off-season like we did!). What am I missing here? What do you want to know? ✈️ Points details: Full disclosure, we used cash on this one to stay at a nearby house rental on an orchard with friends (amazingly affordable if you split between 3 couples like we did), but there are options within roughly an hour’s drive of Noto. If you want to use points, right on Ortigia in Siracusa you have the Ortea Palace on Marriott Bonvoy and the intimate six-room Lùme bookable through World of Hyatt via Mr and Mrs Smith, and about 30 minutes north near the fishing village of Brucoli is Mangia’s Brucoli on Marriott Bonvoy, a big newly-renovated seaside resort. Within about 45 mins of Noto you have the Terradamari Resort and Spa on Hilton Honors right on the beach at Marina di Modica and the Costa Irminia Retreat and Spa, a brand new IHG Vignette Collection property tucked into a Mediterranean nature reserve near Scicli. #sicily #noto #whattodoinsicily #italy #hotelpoints by @fromseatoskies
Taormina, Sicily has always been a popular tourist spot in Italy, but of course since “White Lotus” it’s gotten a bit crazier. That said, Taormina is a stunning corner of Italy and absolutely still worth a visit if you can afford a few days (points details @ bottom). (👋 Hi, I’m Liana, a seasoned traveler helping busy people escape to the water and the mountains, including how to get there on points/miles.) If you’re limited on time, here’s what you can’t miss: 🔵 The Greek theater is full of history and you can also capture that Mount Etna view. 🔵 The cable car down to Isola Bella costs around €6 one way. After the sandbar walk to the island is the €4 museum in the old villa. 🔵 For drinks before or after dinner, find Arco Rosso on Via Naumachie, a tiny wine bar run by a father and son, known for rotating bruschette and local Sicilian wine. 🔵 Two restaurants we loved for different reasons: Al Giardino is a three-generation family trattoria that has been feeding people since after the war and will make you feel like a regular by the second course. Ristorante Armonia: waterfront, right on the Mazzarò coast, with sea views and a piano bar. 🔵 La Plage beach club requires a reservation in advance; it is not a walk-in, but it’s a must if you want to soak in the sun next to Isola Bella. ✈️ Quick points note for Taormina: We stayed in an independent b&b near Isola Bella for a few nights, but spent the first night after landing at Delta Hotels by Marriott Giardini Naxos (putting together a post about this for the future!). More options — IHG: Kimpton Villa Miramare. Accor: Splendid Hotel. I Prefer/Choice: Grand Hotel San Pietro. Hilton: Quiete Taormina Naxos nearby. Hyatt: Park Hyatt coming 2028. The San Domenico Palace (the Four Seasons made famous by White Lotus season 2) has been on Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts, where Platinum cardholders get perks like a property credit, room upgrade when available, daily breakfast, and frequent free-night promotions. #sicily #taormina #hotelpoints #sicilytravel #medeteranian by @fromseatoskies
If you know, you know. So many of us spend hours on the road for jobs that send us there, but it does mean there are some sacrifices. Those can feel a little better when you can finally use all those points and miles (and your airline status) for bucket list trips. This one was when we got upgraded to business class on this @united flight to Rome using Plus Points accumulated from a bunch of work travel. 👋 Hi, I’m Liana, a seasoned traveler —1,500+ hotel nights, 600+ flights, & all 50 states the last several years — helping busy people escape to the water and the mountains, including ways to get there on points/miles. 😊 #pointsandmiles #worktravel #airlineupgrades #airtravel #businessclass by @fromseatoskies

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